Was an Eight-Year-Old's Death Caused by His Flu Shot?

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The New York state Department of Health is investigating the unexpected death of an 8-year-old boy on October 11. Reports published since the incident have implied a possible connection between the death and a flu shot the boy received the week before his death.

Stony Brook Hospital would not comment on the case, citing privacy requirements, but did confirm the investigation.

The DOH reported that Stony Brook Hospital has cooperated completely with the investigation, forwarding reports, medical records and fluid samples to Albany.

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

This is not the first time a young child has mysteriously died after receiving a flu vaccination. Last year a 6-year-old girl from Colorado received the FluMist vaccine and about a week later “became weak with multiple episodes of falling to the ground.”

The girl grew increasingly weak and feverish, was hospitalized and underwent surgery, but eventually died.

This year, flu deaths are being trumpeted across the world, and yet people are also dying and suffering life-altering disabilities shortly after receiving the flu vaccine, whether it be the seasonal- or the H1N1 vaccine.

For example, here are two more recent stories that receive nowhere near the same amount of attention as the flu deaths. In fact, most if not all, are being portrayed as unfortunate coincidences that have nothing to do with the fact they just received a flu shot, and no further investigations are made:

The medical industry ACCEPTS these occasional deaths and disability as collateral damage during mass vaccinations and other drug interventions, or attempts to rule them as “coincidences.”

So what is important to yourself before getting a flu shot or H1N1 vaccine for yourself or your child is: do the benefits outweigh the risks?

And in the case of either flu shot, seasonal or H1N1, I think if you are objective and seriously evaluate all the evidence you’ll find they do not.

Flu Vaccines Have a Dismal Success Rate

If you get a flu shot, you can still get the flu (or flu-like symptoms). This is because it only protects against certain strains, and it’s anyone’s guess which flu viruses will be in your area.

In January or February of each year, health authorities travel to Asia to determine which strains of the flu are currently active. Based on their findings in Asia, they assume that the same strains of viruses will spread to the U.S. by fall.

At this point, U.S. vaccine manufacturers start making that season’s flu vaccine, which will contain the strains found in Asia. However, if the viral strains circulating in the U.S. that season are not identical to those in Asia, the vaccine you receive is a complete dud.

Even the CDC states:

“In some years when vaccine and circulating strains were not well-matched, no vaccine effectiveness can be demonstrated in some studies, even in healthy adults. It is not possible in advance of the influenza season to predict how well the vaccine and circulating strains will be matched, and how that match may affect the degree of vaccine effectiveness.”

Meanwhile, numerous studies are coming to the same conclusion: Flu vaccines DO NOT WORK.

A study published in the Lancet found that influenza vaccination was NOT associated with a reduced risk of pneumonia in older people. This is important because 35,000 of the 36,000 “flu” deaths the government claims happen each year are actually caused by diseases like pneumonia, and NOT the flu.

Along with their dismal success rate, flu vaccines do not come without risk. The most common reactions actually resemble the flu-like symptoms the shot is aiming to prevent, including fever, fatigue, painful joints and headache that can last several days.

Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), which occurs most often within two to four weeks of vaccination, has also been associated with the flu vaccine. GBS is a nerve disorder characterized by muscle weakness, unsteady gait, numbness, tingling, pain and sometimes paralysis of one or more limbs or your face. It can also cause death.

Other side effects such as brain and nerve disorders including encephalopathy, optic neuritis, partial facial paralysis, and brachial plexus neuropathy have also been reported (although a “causal” link has not been determined).

Most seasonal flu vaccines also contain dangerous levels of mercury in the form of thimerosal, a deadly preservative that is 50 times more toxic than regular mercury. Most of the swine flu vaccines will also contain thimerosal, although they will reportedly make a limited number of doses available that are thimerosal-free.

If taken in high enough doses, thimerosal can result in long-term immune, sensory, neurological, motor, and behavioral dysfunctions.

It can also predispose adults to neurological problems such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

The Institute of Medicine has warned that infants, children, and pregnant women should not be injected with thimerosal, and yet the majority of flu shots contain 25 micrograms of it, and this year you and your children may be exposed to as many as FOUR flu shots in quick succession.

Flu Deaths and Cases are Way Over-Hyped

Why would you take a flu shot -- EVERY YEAR -- that has NEVER been proven to be effective, that can give you the very illness you’re trying to prevent, and has potential long-term side effects that are far worse than the flu itself?

There has been massive misinformation around this topic, which has done an excellent job of instilling fear into the population to convince you to get a shot to stay healthy.

And one of the prime ways they have done this is by drastically overestimating the cases of both flu and swine flu.

CBS News recently went to all 50 states directly, asking for their statistics on state lab-confirmed H1N1 prior to the CDC’s halt of individual testing and counting in July.

What did they find? CBS reported:

"The results reveal a pattern that surprised a number of health care professionals we consulted. The vast majority of cases were negative for H1N1 as well as seasonal flu, despite the fact that many states were specifically testing patients deemed to be most likely to have H1N1 flu, based on symptoms and risk factors, such as travel to Mexico."

So not only are most cases of suspected flu-like illnesses not H1N1, they're not even the flu but more likely some type of cold or upper respiratory infection!

Barbara Loe Fisher, founder of the National Vaccine Information Center, was a consumer representative on the FDA Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee in 2003, and she asked the head of the influenza branch of the CDC how much of the flu-like illness that occurs in America every year is actually due to the flu.

The answer was about 20 percent, which corresponds more closely with the CBS News data from 2009.

According to the CBS News study, when you come down with chills, fever, cough, runny nose, malaise and all those other "flu-like" symptoms, the illness is likely caused by influenza at most 17 percent of the time and as little as 3 percent! The other 83 to 97 percent of the time it's caused by other viruses or bacteria.

Most people don’t realize that over two decades ago the powerful drug lobby carefully manipulated the U.S. Congress to make it impossible for any U.S. citizen to sue vaccine manufacturers. The only option they have is to use National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, which is notoriously difficult -- nearly impossible -- to collect on because they rigged the system.

However, this year with the new H1N1 vaccine it is even less likely that you’d be able to sue a vaccine maker.

So ANY product used to fight "an epidemic" is protected under this law, and the government decides what drugs fit the bill.

It is a blatant demonstration of just how powerful the corporate drug interests have become. Indeed, with the largest political lobby in Congress, their influence is so great they have been able to manipulate numerous laws that now insulate them from any responsibility in harming or killing people in their relentless drive to earn profits, without regard to human health or well-being.

There is a Better Way to Prevent the Flu

What is often NOT explained to parents and others considering a flu vaccine is that there are methods far superior to vaccinations to prevent the flu.

Following these simple guidelines will keep your immune system in optimal working order so that you're far less likely to acquire the infection to begin with … and without any risks.

Optimize your vitamin D levels. This is one of the absolute best strategies for avoiding infections of ALL kinds, and vitamin D deficiency is likely the TRUE culprit behind the seasonality of the flu -- not the flu virus itself.

This is probably the single most important and least expensive action you can take. I would STRONGLY urge you to have your vitamin D level monitored to confirm your levels are therapeutic at 50-70 ng/ml and done by a reliable vitamin D lab like Lab Corp.

For those of you in the U.S., we hope to launch a vitamin D testing service through Lab Corp that allows you to have your vitamin D levels checked at your local blood drawing facility, and relatively inexpensively. We hope to offer this service later this year, but in the meantime you can get your vitamin D levels checked inexpensively by going to this Grassroots Health D*action.

If you are coming down with flu-like symptoms and have not been on vitamin D you can take doses of 50,000 units a day for three days to treat the acute infection. Some researchers like Dr. Cannell, believe the dose could even be as high as 1,000 units per pound of body weight for three days.

However, most of Dr. Cannell's work was with seasonal and not pandemic flu. If your body has never been exposed to the antigens there is chance that the vitamin D might not work. However the best bet is to maintain healthy levels of vitamin D around 60 ng/ml.

Avoid Sugar and Processed Foods. Sugar decreases the function of your immune system almost immediately, and as you likely know, a strong immune system is key to fighting off viruses and other illness. Be aware that sugar is present in foods you may not suspect, like ketchup and fruit juice.

Get Enough Rest. Just like it becomes harder for you to get your daily tasks done if you're tired, if your body is overly fatigued it will be harder for you to fight the flu. Be sure to check out my article Guide to a Good Night's Sleep for some great tips to help you get quality rest.

Exercise. When you exercise, you increase your circulation and your blood flow throughout your body. The components of your immune system are also better circulated, which means your immune system has a better chance of finding an illness before it spreads. You can review my exercise guidelines for some great tips on how to get started.

Take a Good Source of Animal-Based Omega-3 Fats. Increase your intake of healthy and essential fats like the omega-3 found in krill oil, which is crucial for maintaining health. It is also vitally important to avoid damaged omega-6 oils that are trans fats and in processed foods as it will seriously damage your immune response.

Wash Your Hands. Washing your hands will decrease your likelihood of spreading a virus to your nose, mouth or other people. Be sure you don't use antibacterial soap for this -- antibacterial soaps are completely unnecessary, and they cause far more harm than good. Instead, identify a simple non-toxic soap that you can switch your family to.

Use Natural Antibiotics. Examples include oil of oregano and garlic. These work like broad-spectrum antibiotics against bacteria, viruses, and protozoa in your body. And unlike pharmaceutical antibiotics, they do not appear to lead to resistance.

Avoid Hospitals. Hospitals are prime breeding grounds for infections of all kinds, and could be one of the likeliest places you could be exposed to a new bug. So unless you absolutely have to go to the hospital for a medical emergency, avoid it.

Finally, if you or your child has received a seasonal or swine flu shot, I strongly recommend you review Dr. Blaylock’s recommendations, which may alleviate some of the associated health risks.

Disclaimer: The entire contents of this website are based upon the opinions of Dr. Mercola, unless otherwise noted. Individual articles are based upon the opinions of the respective author, who retains copyright as marked. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dr. Mercola and his community. Dr. Mercola encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition, consult your health care professional before using products based on this content.

If you want to use an article on your site please click here. This content may be copied in full, with copyright, contact, creation and information intact, without specific permission, when used only in a not-for-profit format. If any other use is desired, permission in writing from Dr. Mercola is required.

Disclaimer: The entire contents of this website are based upon the opinions of Dr. Mercola, unless otherwise noted. Individual articles are based upon the opinions of the respective author, who retains copyright as marked. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dr. Mercola and his community. Dr. Mercola encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition, consult your health care professional before using products based on this content.

If you want to use an article on your site please click here. This content may be copied in full, with copyright, contact, creation and information intact, without specific permission, when used only in a not-for-profit format. If any other use is desired, permission in writing from Dr. Mercola is required.